April is 'Safe Digging Month'

Submitted

Wed, Apr 5th 2017 07:35 pm

Submitted by the New
York State Public Service Commission

The New York State Public Service
Commission announced it is participating in the nationwide effort to recognize
April as "Safe Digging Month" as a way to remind excavators and contractors
that state law requires them to call one of the toll-free one-call centers
before starting any excavation or digging project.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo proclaimed April as
"Safe Digging Month" in New York.

"The state's one-call notification
systems play a critical role in identifying the location of underground
infrastructure facilities," Commission Interim Chairman Gregg Sayre said.
"Damage to underground utility facilities during excavation can result in loss
of utility service, personal injury and property damage. Therefore, I urge
everyone who is going to be excavating to do their part in protecting vital
underground infrastructure by simply dialing 811 before digging."

The keys to preventing damage to
underground facilities are the two "one-call notification systems" that serve
as communication links between contractors/excavators and the operators of
underground facilities (local utilities/municipalities). New York 811 is the
one-call notification system serving New York City and Long Island, and Dig
Safely New York is the other, serving the remainder of the state. When calling
from inside the areas served, either can be reached by dialing 811. In
addition, both one-call centers allow locate requests to be submitted at any
time through web-based ticket entry. Use of the mark-out system is free.

Along with participating in the
nationwide Safe Digging Month program, the commission's staff works diligently
to enforce its gas safety regulations, which are among the most stringent in
the nation, to ensure that utility companies adhered to them regarding the safe
operation of the utility's gas transmission and distribution systems. To continue
to improve gas safety, the commission routinely monitors the utilities' damage
prevention programs to make sure that they are up to date, to identify
improvement areas, and to ensure that the plans are in compliance with the commission's
gas safety requirements.

The commission, which oversees some
92,000 miles of gas pipelines transporting much-needed energy across the state
to consumers, prides itself on its zealous safety oversight. The commission's
rigorous review of utilities' natural gas infrastructure and operations exceeds
federal requirements, and includes prescribing aggressive safety performance
metrics, holding utilities financially accountable to meet standards, and
conducting thousands of incident investigations. On a daily basis, the commission's
team of employees closely monitors utility activity to ensure compliance.

New York leads in its use of financial
incentives and penalties related to gas safety. Excavators who damage
underground facilities due to the failure to follow the regulations are not
only subject to civil penalties, but also are liable for repair costs. However,
state law exempts excavators from liability for repair costs if the damage is
caused by the utility's or municipality's failure to comply with the law, such
as failure to participate in the one-call notification systems or failure to
accurately mark the location of their underground facilities.